One Magical Mess
by Barbie Shoes
Summary: Sequel to "One Fine Mess." Emma and Regina finally have their baby girl home and are navigating the waters of both having a newborn and of their newfound relationship. But life with their daughter is far more complicated than they expected. — Magic!Baby, Swan Queen
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: It's finally here! **This is the sequel to my story One Fine Mess. I suppose if you're hell bent you could read it without reading that first, but there will be some gaping plot holes so I recommend you don't skip the first story.**_

 _This story will be Emma's POV following the baby's first year. There will be twelve chapters in total, each chapter covering one month. It's quite a different theme than its predecessor, but I hope you all enjoy it just as much. It's pretty nerve wracking to follow up such a successful story! So please let me know what you think!_

 _Huge thanks to michealawaffles for editing, we worked really hard on this one lol she is a saint!_

* * *

 **February**

Emma Swan was in love.

Absolutely, unequivocally, irrevocably in love.

The precious, unfathomably tiny bundle at her breast was more perfect than she could have ever imagined. Every time she laid eyes on her baby girl, Emma's heart seemed to expand to fill her entire chest, pushing up against her throat until she was ready to burst into tears at the sight. Sometimes she actually did – the doctors said it would take a little time for her hormone levels to return to normal.

The love she felt for her daughter was entirely overwhelming. It was the very same love she felt for Henry, though with him things had happened a bit more slowly. It took time, getting to know the kid, the barrier she'd built around her heart to protect herself from those feelings of incomparable love being dismantled day by day, brick by brick.

This time it all felt so sudden, the wall shattering instantly like a hammer crashing through glass. She could have never thought it possible to love another human being this fully, so quickly. Love at first sight always seemed a ridiculous notion. You couldn't possibly love someone on sight, knowing absolutely nothing about who they are, what they like, how they feel. Yet the moment she laid eyes on Maria, Emma was positively, unquestionably head over heels.

"You're a natural with her," Regina commented from the doorway, leaning against the frame with an adoring smile, and Emma realized the woman had been watching them for a while.

"You think so?" she asked earnestly, aching so much to be the kind of mother this impeccable little being deserved, still fearing she was completely out of her depth.

Emma had missed all this with Henry and, besides her little brother, she wasn't really all that familiar with babies. It wasn't that she didn't like them, but she hadn't exactly had a lot of friends or family until recent years, and consequently very few children in her adult life. She managed to get the hang of things with Henry eventually, but the idea of this tiny life being completely dependent upon Emma knowing and tending to her every need was, to be honest, rather terrifying.

"Yes," Regina replied certainly, pushing off the wall and strutting towards the couch. She leaned down and Emma's heart fluttered when she felt the woman plant a tender kiss to the top of her head. Sitting down beside them, Regina stretched one arm out across the couch behind Emma, her free hand softly caressing their daughter's form as she nursed.

"Just look how content she is," Regina continued, gazing down at Maria with an unwavering sense awe that perfectly mirrored Emma's own. "That's because of you."

A familiar prickling began behind her eyes and Emma really couldn't wait for the day she wouldn't get so emotional over every little thing anymore. She didn't enjoy feeling this incredibly transparent. It exposed weakness to those who wanted to bring her down, and placed a burden on the few who wished to hold her up. As frightening as being vulnerable could be, placing that weight of responsibility on someone, even without meaning to, was sometimes worse. But it was Regina seated beside her, and at least she knew Regina didn't mind.

"Thank you," Emma whispered through quivering lips, hoping the woman understood she meant for so much more than the moment implied. There weren't enough words to convey all she was grateful for – the constant reassurance, this baby, their family.

Regina's love.

Emma couldn't believe how quickly everything changed. Just a few days ago so much of this seemed so far away, like grasping for a dream that fades too quickly upon waking. Yes, there would still have been their children and yes, they still would have all returned home together.

But there wouldn't have been _this_.

There wouldn't be Regina kissing her head and curling up on the couch next to her. There wouldn't be leaning into the solidarity and comfort of Regina's warmth. There wouldn't have been the knowledge that they weren't just some odd, hodgepodge sort of family thrown together by happenstance. This was real, and it was everything Emma ever hoped for.

Regina's hand lifted from its place on Maria's tiny cheek to find Emma's, thumb running delicately over the bone, eyes meeting with so much love and affection that it made the girl's heart roar within her chest. It was kind of funny, Emma thought fleetingly, that she should feel so nervous and giddy over a simple look from the mother of her children on the same day they brought their newborn daughter home. Most new parents would be far past this stage of butterflies by then. Though, she conceded, their circumstances were far from usual.

Emma felt that excruciatingly sensational fluttering of wings in her stomach as Regina leaned forward, still gently holding Emma's face as she kissed her. Slowly, languidly, as if it had always been like this, so natural and pure. Emma had always been reluctant to leave her life up to the hands of fate, to believe that fate's pull carried more weight than her own decisions and actions. Despite these beliefs, when she was kissing Regina, Emma felt in her gut that it was always inevitable for them to end up here, together. It was in the essence of their beings, and in the choices they would always make. Maybe that's all really fate was.

The smile didn't leave Emma's face even once Regina sat back, and she would have felt ridiculous for it if the other woman hadn't looked so equally enamoured. Maria sighed softly and Emma's heart soared again, the tiny sound reminding her that this little girl, whom she'd loved and waited to meet for so long, was really finally in her arms.

"It's so weird having her home," Emma said, shaking her head in bemusement. "Like, all of a sudden she's just _here_ , and we're supposed to keep on living life like that's totally normal."

Regina chuckled throatily. "It will be eventually," she assured, the hand behind Emma coming up to toy absently with luxurious strands of blonde hair. A simple gesture, though the familiarity of it was both comforting and exhilarating. "I felt the same way when I first brought Henry home."

"It seems unreal," Emma laughed as well. "It doesn't even feel like we should be allowed to take her out of the hospital. They just entrust us with the care of this tiny, little human like it's no big deal."

"She's _our_ tiny human, my dear," Regina reminded her softly, letting the notion sink into Emma's heart once again. "Our daughter."

Emma grinned down at Maria with a dumbfounded shake of her head before looking to the woman beside her.

"We have a _baby,_ Regina," she said like it was the most confounding thing in the world.

"I never said it wasn't mind-boggling," Regina chortled back.

"Moms!" Henry called from out of sight, not too loudly, and Emma appreciated the boy's consideration for is half-sleeping sister. He made himself scarce when Emma announced it was time for Maria to eat, hiding away in his room as he waited for feeding time to end. "Is she done yet?"

"Henry, just come in here," Emma called back amusedly. "You can't even see anything, I promise."

There was a beat of silence where he seemed to consider the idea, but in the end he declined.

"That's okay," he said awkwardly, voice fading as he drifted away again. "I'll just wait."

Both women snickered at their son's reluctance. The kid was in for a rough few months if he was going to continue getting squeamish every time Maria nursed.

"I should probably go get dinner started," Regina sighed, fingers dancing over the baby's capped head as if loathe to break contact. Emma knew the feeling well, and she couldn't help feeling guilty that Regina was the one who had to walk away, especially since it was to take care of Emma, and even more so because today was supposed to be Regina's day.

"I was going to cook for you," Emma said shyly and feeling a bit silly about it. "For your birthday. I had a whole thing planned."

She really wanted to make Regina's birthday special, even before telling the woman how she really felt about her. Emma wanted to give her this one night to show her just how much she appreciated everything Regina did for her. A night where Emma would take care of everything – including Regina, after Henry went to bed – with just the three of them together at home.

Until they unexpectedly become a family of four ahead of schedule, and all of Emma's big plans went out the window.

"That is incredibly sweet of you," Regina said, and Emma couldn't help smiling at the mirth she saw in those adoring brown eyes. "But your body needs rest and, in this case, I think it's most certainly the thought that counts more. You just worry about feeding her. I'll take care of the rest of us."

Regina pressed a quick kiss to Emma's lips, then another that lingered a bit longer before she moved to stand. Changing her mind at the last minute, she fell back against the couch again, stealing one final kiss that had Emma suppressing an uncharacteristic bout of giggles that bubbled jovially within her chest.

She was smiling so much that her cheeks were beginning to protest as she watched Regina rise and walk away. The woman stopped at the threshold, turning back just enough for Emma to see the warmth radiating in her features.

"I love you, Emma," Regina said softly, like she still wasn't used to being allowed to voice such a feeling, though her tone was strong and sure.

The muscles in Emma's face burned as she grinned harder still.

"I love you, too," she beamed, Regina's wonderstruck gaze and the words that still hung in the air filling Emma with the sense of contentment and belonging that she once believed would forever sit just beyond her reach.

She couldn't do nothing for Regina's birthday. Emma knew the woman didn't expect or need more from the day that hadn't already been given, but that made it all the more important. Everyone deserved a little something extra once in a while. Something that says "I know you love me anyway, but I wanted to do this because I love you."

"Henry!" she called, careful not to startle the baby, who seemed to have fallen asleep mid-meal and only suckled intermittently now. Emma grabbed a nearby blanket, throwing it over her shoulder and Maria's head, hoping her son hadn't wandered off too far to hear. "Henry! Come here a second!" she called again. "Everything's covered, I swear. I need to ask you a favor."

* * *

Emma emerged from the en suite bathroom, toweling off her hair and wearing an old maternity nightshirt that had certainly seen better times. Despite being significantly smaller than she was just a few days ago, she was hardly going to be squeezing back into her skinny jeans anytime soon. The tattered garment was all that fit, and Emma didn't see any point in investing in a new one unless she ended up struggling to lose the baby weight.

She felt more refreshed than she had in days. Not only could Emma swear she lost at least a pound in hospital grime, but the warm bath had done wonders to help soothe her aching body.

The sight she walked into was enough to set her unsettled hormones ablaze, swallowing hard as she tried not to cry over the beautiful sight of mother and child curled up together in Regina's bed. Or _their_ bed, Emma supposed it was now. No use in still pretending like they wouldn't be sleeping side by side every night.

The way Regina looked at their daughter, held so securely in her arms, made Emma's heart ache in a way that was almost bittersweet. This was the woman who raised Henry alone for the first ten years of his existence. While Emma would always regret missing that part of her son's life, watching Regina now reminded her just how much their children always were, and would always be, loved. That's what mattered most and she was incredibly grateful that, despite past hardships, never once was there a lack of love in Henry's life, nor would there be in Maria's.

"How is she?" Emma squeaked through her constricted throat, climbing into bed and kneeling next to her two favorite girls in the world.

"Just fine, Momma," Regina cooed back, in a tone sweet enough to calm both baby and hormonal mother.

"I missed her," Emma said, snuggling up close to Regina and stealing a soft caress of their slumbering child. "I know you guys were right here in the next room, but God, I just _miss her_ all the time. Is that crazy?"

"Not at all, my dear," Regina replied, her tender voice flooding Emma with a sense of warmth and comfort once again. "How are you feeling?"

That was a loaded question. Emma was elated to have their baby girl home. She felt absolutely blessed by everything life bestowed upon her in these past few days. At the same time, she was completely overwhelmed, and there was a daunting fear hanging over her like a storm cloud threatening to rain down upon her joy.

"I'm starting to understand," Emma began, still trying not to get emotional about the words she would utter next. But she trusted Regina, and she wanted to be open with her. "How my mom felt when Neal was born. I don't want to spend one second away from her. I don't even want to blink in case I miss something."

"Would it help you to hold her?" Regina asked, with so much understanding, so much empathy, Emma felt like her heart would shatter.

"No, no," she replied with a vehement shake of her head. Emma desperately wanted the child in her arms at all times, but she also wanted Regina to have her chance to bond with Maria. She had to admit it was an internal tug-o-war, but Regina's time with Maria was important.

"Here," Regina said calmly, extending her arms until the child was resting in Emma's. "I'll have plenty of time with her," the woman continued compassionately. "You need this right now."

"Thank you," Emma sighed in relief, feeling rather selfish about how badly she needed to feel Maria close to her, but eternally grateful for Regina's understanding.

"No one is going to take this baby from you, Emma," Regina promised as Emma kissed the top of the child's head. "It's okay to be afraid, but you need to know that. I won't let anything bad happen. To any of you."

Emma didn't know what to say. Regina could read her every thought alarmingly well, yet for the first time that made Emma feel safe. She finally found someone who understood her completely, who loved her so unconditionally, and words alone consistently failed her in expressing how much that meant.

So she kissed Regina with the softest, most gentle love and affection, desperate for the act to pour all of the emotion she couldn't vocalize into the woman's being. The kiss grew longer, and deeper, until they were completely lost in the sensation of one another.

Under any other circumstances there was no doubt where a kiss like that would lead, but not tonight. It was a little disappointing that she couldn't make love to Regina. They hadn't even had the chance to do so properly since confessing their true feelings. But Emma's battered body was nowhere near ready for such vigorous activity. As badly as she wished to fully experience that intimacy with the woman she loved, it would have to wait.

"Did you have a good birthday?" Emma whispered on winded breath, still nuzzling Regina's nose with her own. She relished in the feeling of closeness, deciding there were plenty of other ways for them to be intimate without having sex.

"It was perfect," Regina replied wistfully, smoothing blonde locks back behind Emma's ear to place a loving kiss on the girl's pale cheek.

"Even though you don't get any birthday sex?" Emma asked with a playful smirk.

"Even so," Regina chuckled. "The cake was very thoughtful of you," she quirked an eyebrow as she added, "and Henry."

"Well," Emma shrugged guiltily, "I was a little tied down with this one," she tipped her chin towards Maria, "and it's not like I could send you out to pick up your own surprise birthday cake."

"Fair enough," Regina conceded with a glint in her eye that belied her chiding. Emma saw the way Regina's face softened with tender affection as Henry presented the cake, and although the woman insisted she could only have one small slice, Emma felt victoriously confident that the gesture was more than appreciated.

She settled back against Regina, Maria sleeping gently in her arms, and basked in the quiet comfort of the moment. Emma felt so peaceful, like nothing in the world could touch them curled up in the sanctuary of this room. A room she wanted to share with the woman beside her forever, and she hoped more than anything that Regina wanted that as well.

"Do you think," Emma began, hesitating a little because this was all still so new. As much as she knew better, after so many years of being tossed around, there would always be that little voice in the back of her head whispering _don't mess this one up._ "Maybe, I mean if you want, I should move the rest of my things from the other room?"

"That's a pretty big step for us, don't you think?" Emma peered up at her incredulously, ready to point out that they already had a _baby,_ not to mention they've been sleeping together for months. But before the words could even form behind her lips, she saw the crinkling around Regina's eyes and realized it was playful sarcasm that had fallen on deaf ears.

"You're an ass," Emma quipped, rolling her eyes more at herself than Regina, but Regina didn't need to know that.

The woman cackled playfully at Emma's remark but otherwise ignored it. "Yes, my dear," Regina replied. "I think moving your things is an excellent idea." There was a beat of thoughtful silence before Regina began again tentatively. "You realize tonight is our first real night together as a couple."

"Yeah," Emma nodded, feeling a dopey grin spread over her face at the thought. "It's kind of weird how it just... Doesn't feel weird."

"Eloquently put," Regina teased. "But I agree."

This was it, Emma thought, sinking deeper into the woman beside her. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She was safe, she was loved.

She was home.

And it turned out that home wasn't a town, or a house or a room. It wasn't a place at all, but the people who held all the pieces of her heart. No matter where she may go, as long as Emma had her family, she would always be home.

"We should probably get some sleep before she wakes up again," Regina suggested after a while.

"I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep tonight," Emma replied, still wary of taking her eyes off the child for a moment, let alone being willfully unconscious. Staying in the hospital offered some sense of security, knowing there was always someone trained and alert to tend to her little girl while Emma slept. Now, she was entirely responsible for anything Maria might need, and the fear she might fail in that task of utmost importance was overwhelming.

The tips of Regina's fingers gently tracing her jawline soothed a bit of the inner turmoil Emma couldn't shake. She closed her eyes and sighed, allowing the sensation to flood her senses and ignite her trust.

"I told you, Emma," Regina said, voice firm but calm. "I won't let anything bad happen. You need to try to get some rest."

"Okay," Emma sighed, nodding her head as she mustered up the willpower to let go of Maria. She placed several lingering kisses on the baby's tiny head before finally handing her to Regina. "You do it," Emma pleaded. "I'll never be able to walk away if I'm the one to put her down."

"Very well," Regina agreed, gladly accepting their daughter into her arms and rising from the bed. Like Emma, Regina pressed her lips to chubby cheeks more than once before depositing the slumbering child into her bassinet.

Emma ran her hands nervously down her sides, desperately trying not to fret over the prospect of falling asleep, until something odd caught her attention. She pulled her shirt away from her body, inspecting it with curious confusion.

"Regina," she said with some bemusement, "this shirt was ripped."

"What?" Regina inquired, looking thoroughly perplexed herself by the outburst as she observed the garment that was very much intact.

"There was a hole right here," Emma explained, pointing just off the center of her stomach. "I'm sure of it. It caught on a door handle when I was still pregnant and tried to squeeze through and it tore. But," she twisted the shirt, checking just one more time to be certain she hadn't missed it, "it's gone now."

"My dear," Regina said, somewhere between concerned and amused. "I think you are even more exhausted than you realize."

"Yeah," Emma nodded absently, not entirely convinced that was the case but not wanting to dwell on how crazy she felt right now. "Yeah, you're probably right."

* * *

A couple weeks passed and Emma was relieved to see Maria settle into a routine. Granted that routine included the baby being quite literally attached to her almost all the time, feeding every couple of hours for almost half an hour at a time. But Emma adored her bonding time with Maria, the long moments of silent love as she, and she alone, nourished her child's life. It was a truly incredible feeling.

Not only did she grow this human being within her body, but that same body could supply her baby girl with the sustenance she needed to survive. As much as she loved having Maria here in the world, it was sometimes hard for Emma not having her safely inside her belly, where she could always protect her and have her close. But this was something she could do, something good, something special and beautiful. After the initial soreness passed – which she had to admit was far more unpleasant than she would have imagined – feeding her child became one of the highlights of Emma's day.

As did Regina. They'd fallen into a routine of their own, with gentle kisses in the morning and cuddling up at night, and constant texts of amorous intention throughout the day that always left a girlish grin on her face. They cooked dinner together while Henry did homework at the kitchen table and Maria slept, then sat down to eat as a family. It was all so wonderfully and simply domestic.

Tonight would be different, though. It was their first Valentine's Day as a couple, and after her plans to celebrate Regina's birthday were thwarted, Emma was determined to make the evening a special one.

She arranged for Henry to spend the night at Hansel and Gretel's so they would have the house to themselves, besides Maria. Emma wasn't quite ready to start sporting sexy lingerie, and it would be a bit pointless since they couldn't have sex. The healing spell she'd been using to speed up the process served mostly to help fade stretch marks and other surface damage. Having a baby was brutal, and Emma's body had a ways to go before it was healed completely.

That didn't mean they couldn't have a romantic evening together.

Dinner was cooked and ready to eat, pork chops and roasted veggies served up and waiting underneath the fancy warming covers Emma found in the cupboard. Candles were lit. Maria was in her swing, dressed in red and prepped with the first part of Emma's gift. The second piece was on the table in a brown lunch bag decorated with paper hearts. Everything was set, and Emma thought she wasn't half bad at this romance business.

She bounced excitedly when she heard the front door open, positively giddy as she waited for Regina to appear. When she did, it was with a bouquet of roses in hand and a delightfully shocked expression on her face. Emma couldn't have been happier.

"You made me dinner," Regina said fondly, grinning as she strode up to Emma and kissed her hello.

"Ducky helped," Emma joked, wrapping her arms around the woman's neck. "And speaking of Ducky, I think she has a question for you."

"Our two-week old daughter has a question for me?" Regina quirked an eyebrow at the notion.

"Just go look," Emma replied, excitedly nudging Regina in the direction of their slumbering child.

The stubborn woman eyed her curiously but still complied. Emma was positively atwitter with excitement as Regina approached the swing and noticed the card clamped in the baby's tiny fist. She plucked it gently from Maria's grasp, careful not to wake her, a smirk forming at the edge of Regina's lips as she read it aloud.

 _"Dear Mommy, will you pretty please be my Momma's valentine?"_

Regina turned around with a look that was trying to be incredulous, but her face-splitting grin gave her away.

"Could you be any cheesier?" she laughed as she returned to Emma's side.

"You didn't answer her question," Emma teased, ecstatic that everything was going off without a hitch.

"Yes," Regina replied, extending the bouquet of roses towards Emma. "So long as you'll be mine."

"Hmm," Emma pretended to think it over a moment. Laughing as Regina gave her a mock glare, she finally accepted the flowers with a kiss. "You've got yourself a deal."

Regina shook her head and rolled her eyes, trying to cover for the endearing smile on her lips as they made their way towards the table to eat. Just as she was about to take her seat, Regina noticed the brown paper sack with its little hand-cut hearts.

"Did Henry make this?" she asked, picking it up for inspection.

" _I_ made it," Emma replied, taking mild offense to the comparison of her artistic skills. She had limited supplies to work with, after all. "It's the other part of your present."

"What's inside?" Regina inquired with a dubious glance.

"Kisses," Emma said brightly.

"Like the candy?"

"No, not candy. Real kisses."

Regina looked more baffled than ever, brow furrowed tightly as she looked from Emma to the bag and back again.

"It's a game," Emma explained, more excited than she'd like to admit about her clever idea. "For the rest of the night, any time you want a kiss, you have to pull a slip of paper out of the bag. Whatever type of kiss it says, that's the kiss you get. You have to use them all by the end of the night, and you don't get any other kisses until all the slips are gone."

Regina peered at her with a skeptical jeer, like Emma had totally gone off the deep end.

"I was wrong," she chortled. "You actually out-cheesed yourself."

"Come on, Regina," Emma pleaded, confident the woman was putting up a front and would go along with it in the end. "It'll be fun. Try one."

Regina sighed but unfolded the top of the bag, rolling her eyes extra dramatically as she retrieved a piece of paper. She looked even more exasperated when she saw the print of lipstick behind the written words, and anyone else would have thought she hated the entire ordeal. But Emma could see the slight purse of supple lips that said Regina really was enjoying herself.

"A peck on the lips," she read the slip, and Emma immediately complied with a soft, quick kiss.

"See?" the girl said hopefully. "Not so bad, is it?"

"Only because I love you," Regina almost yielded, not willing to give into the game.

"Lucky for me," Emma quipped.

Dinner went perfectly. Regina was more than impressed by the food, conversation was flirtatious and easy, and Maria was considerate enough to time her demand for her own meal with the completion of theirs. Leaving the dishes for later – only because it was a special occasion, of course – they relocated to the living room where Emma had a movie waiting for them.

"Would you like me to dish up some dessert?" Regina asked once Emma was settled on the couch and nursing their daughter.

"Sure, if you want," Emma replied. "I think there's still some ice cream in the freezer."

"Oh," Regina said, awkwardly apologetic. "I just assumed you made something."

"I can cook pretty well," Emma chuckled, "but baking is definitely not my forte."

Regina wore an odd frown, looking quite flummoxed, and Emma started to shift nervously. She never actually celebrated Valentine's Day before. It was just a commercial holiday after all – never mind that she never had anyone to share it with. One faux pas wasn't going to ruin the evening, but suddenly Emma couldn't help feeling like she dropped the ball by skipping the final course.

"Sorry," she grimaced. "You never really eat dessert so I just assumed."

"No need to apologize," Regina assured, snapping out of her confused stare. "You're absolutely right. But if you didn't make a dessert, then what smells so good?"

Emma sniffed the air, and the scent was certainly enticing. Like sweet, warm apples and spicy cinnamon, but in a supremely fantastic way that made Emma want to inhale continuously just so she could keep basking it. She only wished she could bake something that smelled like that.

"I assumed you lit a candle or something," Emma shrugged.

Regina shook her head.

"Strange," the woman whispered to herself, eyes shifting skeptically around the room.

"Regina?" Emma asked curiously. "What is it?"

"Nothing, my dear," Regina replied, waving off whatever idea it was she wasn't voicing. "I'm sure it's nothing. Let's watch the movie."

They started the film but didn't get to watch very much of it since Maria was awake and happy after her meal, both women content to focus their attention on their daughter. And while next year they might seize the opportunity to pawn off _both_ kids for a romantic evening alone, watching Regina cuddle and coo at their little girl only made this night that much more special to Emma.

Regina was reluctant to utilize the bag of kisses, save for one to her jawline she received post-meal because Emma insisted that "kissing the cook" wasn't a good enough reason to circumvent the game. Emma knew it was all a little whimsical for Regina's taste, but she also knew the woman's inner child enjoyed the chance to come out and play – with the right combination of coaxing and patience.

It wasn't until after Maria went back to sleep and Regina had a couple glasses of wine that, much as Emma predicted the woman might, Regina suddenly snatched the bag off the coffee table.

"On the cheek," Regina announced curtly, and Emma promptly kissed her there. Regina immediately drew another slip from the bag. "On the hand," she stated with a roll of her eyes, clearly hoping for more, but Emma just laughed and kissed the back of her fingers. "With tongue," Regina proclaimed victoriously this time, and Emma thought about torturing the woman with a tongue laden kiss to her clavicle. But Regina was finally playing along and so she gave her what she wanted, kissing those sweet, succulent lips and allowing her tongue to sneak between them.

"On the forehead," Regina said breathily after they parted and she drew another slip. Emma kissed her there. And on her neck, and with a bite, and in her hair, and on her nose, and in every which way imaginable until Regina was giggling – Regina, _giggling_ – and they finally exhausted the deck.

"So," the woman said, smiling through her petulance, " _now_ am I allowed to kiss you as I please?"

Emma nodded her approval with a dreamy grin and Regina seized the opportunity, placing a soft, unhurried kiss on the girl's lips as her fingers affectionately curled into golden waves in the way Emma loved.

"I hate to admit it," Regina said with a wistful sigh, "but you are one adorable idiot."

"Love you, too," Emma smirked, kissing the unwaveringly headstrong woman again.

"Thank you for tonight," Regina whispered sweetly as she dropped her vexed front at last. "It was absolutely perfect."

* * *

Maria was a good baby. She was quiet and mild tempered, and while of course she got fussy when she was hungry or tired or needing to be changed, she was easily soothed by either of her mothers.

She rarely cried – and certainly never like this.

At nearly four weeks old, Emma had yet to encounter a time when her daughter was absolutely inconsolable. Of course there were moments that tried her patience – caring for an infant was as challenging as it was rewarding – but there was always a solution and someone to lean on. Now, with Regina at work and Henry at school, Emma felt utterly helpless as her baby relentlessly continued to wail.

It wasn't her hungry cry, or her tired cry, or her "pick me up because I'm lonely" cry. Emma knew those cries, she knew her baby, and her heart was breaking with every second she was unable to provide the comfort Maria needed.

She was starting to worry that something was really wrong and, even as it made her feel a bit incompetent, Emma decided she needed to call for backup.

"Regina, Ducky's freaking out," she said frantically into the phone before the woman barely said "hello."

"What's wrong?" Regina asked urgently, certainly able to hear Maria screaming in the background.

"I don't know!" Emma practically shouted, her voice edged in barely withheld panic. "I've tried everything and she just won't stop crying! I need you here, _please_. I don't know what to do!"

"I'm on my way," Regina assured without a moment's hesitation.

The baby was crying so hard she was shaking, her tiny vocal cords vibrating with the force of her exertion. And, as if that weren't enough, all the lights suddenly began to flicker, thrusting the room in and out of a state of darkness unusual for this time of day, and making it that much harder for Emma to maintain any level of composure.

"And now something's wrong with the electricity," Emma groaned woefully. "Please hurry!"

She hung up the phone and scooped her child up off the bed, trying in vain to calm her with gentle shushing and swaying. It didn't help, but the lights settled down so at least that was one less thing to fret about.

Regina arrived in no time, and Emma thought she must have driven like a bat out of hell to get there so quickly. She didn't like the idea of Regina being reckless, but for the moment she was just grateful to have the woman present.

"Looks like there's a pretty bad storm coming in," Regina said curiously as she discarded her coat. "I don't recall any rain in the forecast."

"Can we focus?" Emma snapped, her nerves completely shot by the situation at hand.

"Of course," Regina nodded, reaching her arms out for their baby. Emma readily obliged, running frazzled fingers through her hair as the other woman inspected the child for any signs of what might be causing her distress. "She's stiff as a board," Regina noted, observing her tense little legs, then chuckling quietly. "Take a deep breath, Emma. It's probably just gas."

"Gas," Emma repeated, shaking her head at herself for not thinking of that sooner. "So... what do we do?"

"Here," Regina motioned for Emma to follow her to the bed. She laid Maria on her stomach, gently sliding her fingers under the child's belly and rubbing in soft circles. "We just have to help her work it out."

Emma sat down beside them, her ears still ringing with Maria's shrill cries, but Regina was calm and determined and that helped set Emma's mind at ease. It seemed to take forever, but at last an alarmingly loud rip resounded from the tiny girl. The crying stopped instantly, and Emma could swear the room visibly brightened as she flopped back on the bed in relief.

"How does such a huge sound come out of such a little person?" Emma asked, sincerely awestruck that Maria could have given a grown man with a beer gut a run for his money.

"Trust me," Regina laughed as she lifted the baby into her arms again, "she'll have plenty more where that came from."

"I'm sorry I called you away from work for that," Emma said, feeling guilty she hadn't been able to solve such a simple problem on her own. It's not like Regina worked some arbitrary job. She was the _mayor,_ and Emma couldn't have the woman come running every time their baby's digestive track acted up. She needed to be able to handle these things.

"I think we may have a larger issue," Regina said ominously, pulling Emma out of her self admonishment as the woman strolled over to the bedroom window and pushed the curtain aside to reveal a beautiful, sunny day. "The sky was practically black when I got here."

"So?" Emma asked, not seeing how the passing bad weather could possibly be an issue for them.

"So it wasn't supposed to rain today," Regina explained carefully. "And that storm disappeared as suddenly as it began." She looked down at Maria, now as perfectly content and calm as the blue sky outside. "Emma, I think she caused it."

No, Emma immediately thought, her heart dropping into her gut. There was absolutely no way. They'd discussed this before, and they knew Maria would have magic. Magic powerful enough to make even Rumpelstiltskin wary. But Emma was just barely getting the hang of taking care of an infant. She wasn't ready to deal with a magical one.

"She's just a baby!" Emma insisted, feebly praying for Regina to take it back.

"Yes, but she's _our_ baby," Regina was equally adamant. "We knew this might happen."

Emma deflated, remembering the flickering lights and the way they'd suddenly stopped when Maria was back in her arms. At least she hadn't been entirely useless in comforting her child.

"Great," Emma groaned. "Just when things were starting to feel normal around here."

"Maria _is_ normal," Regina bit defensively.

"Jesus, Regina," Emma snapped back. "I didn't say there was anything wrong with her."

"I'm sorry," Regina sighed, taking a cleansing breath, and Emma did the same. They were both anxious, but it wasn't going to do any good taking it out on each other. "There are people in this town who don't take too kindly to magic, and unbridled power like hers is likely to frighten even those that do. I just don't want her to be ostracized for something that's a part of who she is."

"So, what are we going to tell people?" Emma asked nervously, now fretting over their daughter's safety and future as well.

"Nothing," Regina said firmly. "We have to mitigate this ourselves."

"And how are we going to do that?" Emma pressed, feeling hesitant about this course of action and all the ways it could so easily come crashing down on them and their daughter. "Squirrel her away in an ice castle?"

"Elsa built the castle for herself when she ran away," Regina retorted. "Did you even _watch_ the movie?"

Emma glared at her for missing the point, and Regina relented.

"We're not going to _squirrel her away_ anywhere," the woman assured. "But for now we need to keep this quiet. Understood?" Emma nodded her compliance and, though still tense, Regina breathed a sigh of relief at their united front. "No one can have any idea what she's capable of."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: At long last! An update! I do apologize for the long wait. I'll try and be better with that, but no guarantees, so I hope you'll be patient with me! Reviews truly are the most helpful way to motivate, so if you can leave a few words that's amazing!_

 _Thanks as always to the fabulous michaelawaffles for making sure my stories are in tip top shape for publishing!_

* * *

 **March**

Odd happenings around the house suddenly started making sense. They'd brushed it off when Maria was contentedly nursing and a pleasant aroma would fill the air, seemingly without a source, or when objects they could have sworn were broken turned up inexplicably mended. A long untouched vase shattering on the floor as the overtired baby cried, static on the TV when she needed to be changed.

It seemed rather inconsequential at first but, now that they thought about it, such coincidences only began after their daughter was born. Maria's magic created lovely and pleasant things when she was happy, but wrought chaos when she was upset. The stronger she felt her emotions, the more intensely her magic reacted.

It was lucky that she was generally such a mild-tempered baby. Emma and Regina could deal with the less threatening situations that happened within their home, but they needed to avoid another fiasco that might wreak havoc on the world outside. Had Maria been a colicky baby, or even just a touch more irritable, things would be exponentially more difficult.

That didn't mean the past few days were easy ones. While none of their child's recent curveballs were particularly menacing or unmanageable, both mothers were constantly on high alert, making the air in the home tenser for everyone as they waited for the other shoe to drop.

This wasn't the type of environment Emma wanted for either of her children, and she certainly didn't want it mounting into something that caused she and Regina lash out at one another and put a strain on their very new relationship. So Emma started trying little things to help alleviate the mounting pressure.

"Regina, could you give me a hand?" she asked that night, Maria tucked into the crook of her arm and donning only her robe as she gestured towards the ensuite. "I want to take a bath with Ducky but I need a little assistance."

"I can take her if you'd like to bathe on your own," Regina offered, placing the book she was reading face down on the bed. "You _are_ allowed to take time for yourself, you know."

"Oh, no. I mean, thank you, but the bath is really for her," Emma explained. "It's just that we've been so stressed, and I think it's stressing her out, so I thought a bath might help us relax."

A fond smile graced Regina's face. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, my dear," she agreed. Emma grinned proudly at the praise, feeling like maybe she was finally getting the hang of this "new mom" thing.

Regina followed them into the bathroom and Emma handed her their daughter before leaning down to check the temperature of the water with her fingers. Satisfied that it wasn't too hot for Maria's sensitive skin, Emma began untying the front of her robe until a pang of insecurity stopped her.

"Would you mind, um," she mumbled shyly, "maybe just turning around until I get in?"

Regina's forehead crinkled in confusion at the request, and Emma felt a blush come up to warm her cheeks as she held the garment closed.

"I've seen you naked a hundred times," Regina pointed out, clearly befuddled that Emma should care now, when they were in a relationship, and not before. "Why the sudden modesty?"

Emma shrugged, staring bashfully at the floor. "I was pregnant all those times. Well, except the time that got me pregnant, obviously," she babbled. "I was carrying your kid, and you liked that. And I had a nice, round belly but now I'm just," she pressed a hand against her abdomen distastefully, " _squishy_."

Regina tipped her head affectionately at the confession, eyes soft with understanding.

"If you don't want me to look, I won't," the woman said compassionately. "But Emma, you need to know that you are beautiful. You were beautiful the night we made Maria, you were beautiful when you were carrying her, and you are no less beautiful now after bringing her into the world." She waited until she had a firm hold on Emma's gaze before adding, "And I love you for so much more than your body."

Emma couldn't help a small smile from creeping onto her face hearing those words. The way Regina spoke with such absolutely sincerity made it impossible not to melt into her sentiments.

"I know," Emma replied sheepishly. "I know you do. I just still want you to be, you know, _attracted_ to me."

"Emma," Regina said, voice low and exhilaratingly dangerous, her free hand cupping the other woman's chin. "Trust me when I say that I find you _incredibly_ appealing."

Emma blushed anew at the lascivious implication, and with a gentle tug Regina had pulled her in for a deliciously indulgent kiss. The kind that made Emma feel like she could fall into it and be lost forever, and suddenly even another week of waiting to be intimate with this woman seemed like an eternity.

"Now," Regina husked breathlessly. "Would you still like me to turn around?"

Smiling softly, Emma shook her head and let the robe fall open. Regina knew just how to make her feel so unconditionally cherished and safe, to remind Emma she didn't need any armor when it was just the two of them. No harm would come from lowering her shields.

The silky fabric pooled around her feet and Emma dipped her head shyly as she turned towards the tub. Not because she was embarrassed, but because the way Regina was looking at her with darkening eyes was filling Emma's stomach with butterflies.

She situated herself in the water and Regina handed her their daughter before pulling up a stool and settling nearby.

"How do you like that, my little Ducky?" Emma murmured softly to the tiny girl propped up on her knees. Maria squeaked back contentedly at the sound of her mother's voice, and Emma felt like her heart was imploding as they gently cooed wordless sounds at one another. Maria was becoming more interactive all the time, and it was hard to believe how quickly she was growing already.

A sweet aroma soon filled the air and the two mothers eyed each other knowingly.

"Well," Regina chuckled. "I think it's safe to say she likes it."

Emma smiled back, but soon sighed dejectedly. Even so young, Maria's magic was capable of such beautiful things. Her daughter was so incredibly, wonderfully special and it broke Emma's heart to think that anyone might see the child as anything else.

"I hate this," Emma muttered. "Hiding her away like her magic is something to be ashamed of. I mean, is that really how we want to raise our daughter?"

"Of course not," Regina said empathetically, scooping up a handful of water and letting it trickle soothingly over the child. "Once we can start teaching her how to control it, things will be different. But right now, I honestly don't know how else to protect her."

"I know," Emma nodded, because Regina was right. It sucked, because they loved everything about their little girl. They wanted to celebrate her for absolutely everything she was. But keeping her safe was of the utmost importance.

"Rest assured that there is no limit to the pain I would inflict on anyone that tried to harm her," Regina added menacingly and Emma shot her a warning glance. "What?" Regina's eyes widened with innocence. "I didn't say that I _want_ it to come to that."

Emma just chortled and shook her head. There would always be a little Evil Queen in Regina, but Emma wouldn't change even that. She loved the woman for all that she was, and that meant her darkness as well as her light. Besides, there was comfort in knowing Regina was so fiercely protective of them, not to mention it was kind of hot when she talked like that – even if Emma wouldn't admit that part out loud.

Still, there was more to life than just staying alive, and their children deserved the fullest life they could offer them. One not plagued each day by worries and doubts.

"We can't keep living like the bottom is about to drop out," Emma said, turning serious again. "It's not good for her. It's not good for Henry, and it's not good for us. If something happens then we'll deal with it. But we can't keep acting like she's a ticking time bomb."

"You're absolutely right, my dear," Regina agreed, placing a comforting kiss to the other woman's temple, and Emma relaxed.

It might take some time but they would figure out how to navigate this, together.

* * *

Emma's baby brother was turning one and Snow was throwing little Neal an ambitiously sized birthday party for the square footage of their parents' tiny loft. There was a little part of Emma that pinged with jealousy over the festivities. Her own birthdays had often been forgotten or deemed unworthy of celebration, leading to cupcake orders for one as an adult and the simple wish that one day she might not be so lonely.

She understood, though. Ever since Maria was born, Emma felt like she connected with her mother on a level she never expected to. They both missed out on so much of their first children's early lives, and they both felt that desperate need to compensate the second time around. Emma could only imagine how much harder it would be to have not had the choice, or to have not met Henry until he was already grown.

With Maria at seven weeks old, this was their first big outing as a family. They took the baby out for quiet dinners at the Charmings or into town while running errands, but nothing yet of this caliber. While both mothers were excited to show off their bundle of joy to all the guests, they were both also incredibly nervous.

Maria was in the middle of a growth spurt, demanding to be fed even more than the nine or so times a day Emma was accustomed to. Maria's demands equated to fussing, and any delay in tending to said fussing could end in magically disposed destruction.

Thankfully, things were going well so far. People were positively enamoured by their ridiculously gorgeous little girl, who Emma swore got her looks from Regina while the other woman insisted the opposite. The guests would laugh they listened to the two debate this fact, and Emma was thrilled to see them taking so kindly to Regina with their little girl strapped to her chest.

"She's beautiful, Emma," Ruby admired aloud as Emma gazed adoringly across the room at mother and child.

"Maria or Regina?" Emma asked with a wistful grin.

"Oh my gods," Ruby laughed heartily. "I never could have imagined you being so whipped."

"I am not whipped!" Emma gasped indignantly as she finally ripped her attention from Regina to Ruby, but it was kind of a lie. She would always be wildly independent and self-sufficient – she knew Regina even liked that about her. But there were definite stars in Emma's eyes whenever she looked at or spoke of the woman, and that she really couldn't deny.

"Relax," Ruby snickered. "It's nice seeing you like this, all happy and in love. It's definitely a whole new side of Regina, too. You guys are good for each other."

"Thanks, Rubes," Emma replied. "It feels good. It feels really good, actually. Amazing even. I never thought I could have this."

"You deserve it, Emma," Ruby said firmly, with an asserting hand on the woman's shoulder. "Both of you do."

The conversation died as Regina made her way over to them, but Emma pointedly sent Ruby a look of gratitude before averting her attention completely.

"I think she's getting hungry," Regina said coolly, though her eyes shone with the urgency of the matter, and of course Emma understood.

She accepted the child happily, having missed her even in the moments she was just across the room. True, Emma felt like a walking feeding machine sometimes, but she generally didn't mind. Such moments with her daughter were precious, and absconding from the party for a moment to recharge was certainly no burden.

"Would you like to join us?" Emma asked, nodding towards the stairs to her old room, the one her little brother now occupied. She wasn't particularly shy about breastfeeding – "That's what _these things_ ," she would say, pointing to her chest, "are here for in the first place!" – but Maria preferred the quiet, and Emma did enjoy the solitude.

"I would love to," Regina replied with a mixture of enthusiasm and distinct relief.

Emma imagined that, in a way, Maria was Regina's shield right now. Not that the woman would ever hide behind their child in favor of herself, but that Maria was what Regina felt made her likable to these people. Without the baby, there might not be so much incentive for anyone to make Regina feel included, especially when Emma wasn't watching.

It wasn't a ton quieter upstairs given the room's lack of a fourth wall to shield it from the floor below, but it was away from the hustle and bustle and all three parties found they could relax. Regina sat down against the headboard of the bed that still occupied the room and Emma crawled between the woman's legs, settling back against Regina's body before beginning to nurse. As much as Emma loved her unique ability to nourish their child, she also cherished these moments where she got to share the experience with Regina.

They sat quietly for long minutes, skillful fingers threading peacefully through Emma's hair making her feel contented and sleepy.

"I think we should leave soon," Regina's voice hesitantly broke the comfortable silence.

"What? Why?" the girl asked, enjoying this rare opportunity for real socialization and wanting their kids to be a part of it.

"Because," Regina insisted strongly, "everything has gone perfectly so far and I don't want to press our luck."

"You're doing it again," Emma chastised.

"Doing what?" Regina asked.

"Time-bomb mentality," Emma said, turning her head to peer up at the woman behind her. "We agreed not to live like that."

"I know," Regina sighed. "But I can't help worrying. She's not used to being around this many people. It doesn't make you nervous?"

"Of course it does," Emma conceded, completely understanding the cause for concern, while still adamant that it shouldn't control their lives or their children's. "But look at her, she's perfectly happy right now."

Maria finished eating and turned towards the sound of her mothers' voices, her tiny brow furrowing just a bit until she was able to focus in on their faces.

"Hi there, sweet girl," Emma said in a sing-song voice when their eyes met. "Who's my happy baby?" Maria stared, then smiled back with a delighted squeak, making Emma gasp. "Regina, did you see that?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, I did," Regina said wondrously, leaning her chin on Emma's shoulder as she peered down at their baby. "Are you finally smiling for Mommy and Momma?"

Maria gurgled and grinned again, watching Regina this time, and Emma was sure both of their hearts had just collapsed into sticky piles of goop.

"I think she's telling Mommy that we should stay at the party," Emma teased.

As if on queue, several distinct voices drifted up from the crowd below.

 _"Something smells incredible!"_

 _"Snow, are you baking another desert?"_

 _"No, I'm not. David, are you?"_

 _"Nope, not me. I have no idea where that's coming from."_

Emma glanced back at Regina again, fully expecting the arched brow and "I told you so" stare she received when she did.

"Oh, come on," Emma deadpanned. "Like anyone is actually going to connect those dots. Hell, it took us nearly a month!"

"Emma..." Regina drawled, bordering on exasperated.

"Besides," Emma persisted with a smirk, "you've _got_ to hang out with Neal for a little bit. He's already pissed that you've been carrying Ducky around all afternoon."

Regina glared at her again. Emma was well aware the woman had a soft spot for the kid and wouldn't want to disappoint him.

"Just until they cut the cake?" Emma pleaded, knowing she wasn't really being fair when she shot Regina her best sad puppy dog eyes that always won her over.

"Fine," Regina huffed. "But then we leave."

"Deal," Emma nodded, grinning triumphantly as she pressed a quick peck of gratitude to Regina's lips, laughing when she saw the woman attempting, and failing, to hide a smirk of her own at Emma's antics.

They rejoined the rabble, and little Neal was delighted to be scooped into Regina's arms instead of toddling about her legs. Emma couldn't help smiling affectionately at the pair's interactions. No one really knew where that particular bond came from, but she loved that Regina had such a special relationship with her baby brother.

"How's the little duck?" Snow asked, finding Emma in the crowd and peering at Maria squirming against her mother's chest in her sling.

"She's good," Emma replied proudly. "She smiled at us for the first time earlier today."

"Did she?" Snow gasped. "Isn't that just the most incredible feeling?"

"It was," Emma beamed, reliving the moment again and again in her head. It was nice being able share these milestones with her mother. It often felt as though Maria somehow brought Emma closer to all the most important people in her life.

"Give her here," Snow demanded abruptly, making grabby hands at the child. "Grandma needs some Grandma time."

"Oh, um, I don't know if that's best right now," Emma stuttered. The noise from the party was becoming too much stimulation for Maria, and she could tell her little girl was just on the brink of fussing. "She's getting pretty tired. Probably not in the best mood right now."

"Sweetheart, your brother was her age less than a year ago," Snow insisted, already undoing the sling and extracting the child. "I can handle a little whining."

With that Emma's daughter was confiscated by her mother. She hated lying to Snow, but the less people that knew about Maria's magic the better, and so far they'd only told Henry. As such, she had little choice but to relinquish the child and hope for the best. There wasn't much else Emma could say to circumvent "Grandma time" when Snow was so insistent. Regina eyed them warily across the room, and Emma could only shrug helplessly in response.

When at last it was time to cut the cake, Maria was still firmly in her grandmother's grasp. There was little Emma or Regina could do as their daughter began to squawk besides clasp one another's hand and pray that Snow's attempts to sooth the discontented child would be successful.

As the chorus of 'Happy Birthday' began to fill the room, Maria became increasingly displeased by the noise, and with a silent look Emma agreed that Regina go retrieve their daughter by whatever means necessary. But before the woman was barely halfway across the room, the happy chanting melody spontaneously broke into shrieks of terror, and as Emma frantically whipped her head back towards the sound she felt her jaw drop.

The entire birthday cake had burst into flames.

"David! Do something!" Snow cried as it ignited into a blazing inferno, hurrying Maria away from danger. Emma's father tried desperately to control the situation as he whipped a rag at the fire in his attempts to extinguish it, several others feebly emptying their beverages onto the scorched cake but to no avail. In the end, it was Regina who intervened with a steady magical hand that quelled the luminous flames.

The uproar began instantaneously.

 _"What was that?"_

 _"The entire thing was ablaze!"_

 _"Are birthday cakes even flammable?"_

Regina removed Maria from her stunned grandmother's hold at last, strutting hurriedly back to a positively dumbstruck Emma.

" _Now_ may we leave?" the woman hissed.

Emma nodded, and Regina didn't even need to say "I told you so" for Emma to hear it loud and clear.

* * *

For the next few days, Emma felt like kicking herself in the ass. She should have listened to Regina. She was so desperate for Neal's birthday to be just an average family celebration with their kids, and now she felt incredibly selfish for pushing Maria beyond her limits.

"Rumpelstiltskin paid me a visit today," Regina said forebodingly as Emma fed the baby after dinner, Henry having left the room to do the dishes. "Belle told him about the little birthday cake bonfire at Neal's party. He's already suspicious Maria had something to do with it."

"Look, Regina, I said I was sorry," Emma said, surprised to discover that she could possibly feel worse about the whole ordeal than she already did. "I've been berating myself enough for the both of us as it is, I don't need to hear it from you too."

Regina stared quizzically at the woman for a long moment in response to her self-loathing, and Emma turned away shamefully.

"Do you think I'm upset with you?" Regina asked, and Emma shrugged noncommittally because by all means the woman really should be. "I'm not, Emma. You made a mistake. _We_ made a mistake. And we're going to make a lot of them, especially given the circumstances."

"I'm the one that wanted to stay," Emma said dejectedly. "And now Gold knows about her magic and it's all my fault."

"He doesn't _know_ anything," Regina assured, reaching out and grasping Emma's hand in comfort. "He suspects, but he doesn't know. We just have to be more careful. I know you only wanted her to be a part of things. Your intentions were good."

"The road to hell," Emma muttered, unwilling to let herself off the hook.

"Emma, darling, listen to me," Regina said, clearly having no desire to attend the girl's pity party nor to allow Emma to continue hosting it. "We are a team. We make decisions regarding our children together. Which means neither of us are entitled to all the glory, and neither of us are entitled to all the blame. We share the triumphs and the failures, and I will not sit by and watch you beat yourself up over this."

Emma found a sense of comfort in Regina's words despite herself. After all, that's exactly what she said to the woman the day they found out the baby belonged to them both – that she didn't want to do it alone. Regina promised they would do it together, and she held that promise throughout the pregnancy and clearly beyond.

"You're really not mad at me?" Emma asked innocently, needing to hear it again, because she was still a little mad at herself and desperately craved to be assuaged of those feelings.

Regina shifted her chair closer, her lips closing in until they were soundly and deeply consuming Emma's own. There were fingers wound tightly in her hair, and a desperation between the both of them that felt so consuming, so satisfying that Emma never wanted it to stop.

" _Really,_ Moms?" Henry groaned loudly, forcing them to jump apart. He was a little better about the breastfeeding situation, either maintaining rigid eye contact or awkwardly averting his gaze to the ceiling instead of fleeing the scene. But he _really_ got squeamish when his mothers made out – something they had to admit humorously taking advantage of now and then. The sight of both things happening simultaneously, however, was apparently more than he would tolerate.

He gathered the remaining dishes, pointedly _not_ looking at Emma while she fed his sister, and quickly made himself scarce again. Both women laughed at the display, dissipating what remained of the previous tension.

"No, my dear," Regina replied at last with a gentle caress of the porcelain cheek beneath her palm. "I am most certainly not angry with you."

"Good," Emma grinned, feeling incredibly relieved, and a bit emboldened. "Because, you know, I got the all-clear from the doctors, and I was thinking that maybe tonight could be," she lowered or voice to a whisper, " _the night_."

She waited nervously for Regina's reaction. Emma knew Regina loved her, and she truly believed the woman was still attracted to her, but there was still that part of her that feared rejection. She loved Regina so much that sometimes it still terrified her, because the last time she had really been in love ended so badly – first in deceit, and then in death. And she would venture to say that not even Neal could compete with the things she felt for Regina. He may have been Emma's first love, but she was pretty certain Regina was the love of her life.

"Are you sure?" Regina asked, with a hidden air of longing in her voice so well concealed that Emma almost missed it. "I don't want you to rush yourself."

"Yeah," Emma smiled warmly with relief. "I want you, Regina. I want you really, really bad."

"Well then," Regina said, her eyes darkening at the prospect, even though Emma's words had been spoken more earnestly than sensually. "I think perhaps tonight will be an early bedtime for our children."

Emma smiled, splendid gaiety coursing through her. She didn't necessarily feel all that desirable in her day to day life, the weight she gained carrying Maria slowly dwindling, yet still notably present. But with Regina looking at her like that, she couldn't help but to feel incredibly sexy.

True to her word, Regina ensured bedtime was incredibly prompt. Not enough to make Henry gripe or suspect, but there was no leniency for dawdling. Emma suppressed grins all evening, watching Regina subtly trying to enforce the nightly routine harder than usual.

"If I didn't know any better," Emma crooned when they were finally behind closed doors, smirking as she draped her arms around the woman's neck. "I'd say you are really looking forward to this."

Regina pursed her lips, staring intently at Emma's mouth. Fingertips scratched tantalizingly over the girl's hips, igniting a nervous thrill that tingled all the way down Emma's spine. They'd done this so many times before, it was practically second nature by the time Maria was born. Yet, even as Regina pulled her close, there was tentative restraint in their softly exploring hands, and an electricity that made Emma feel like it was the first time.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina feigned ignorance with a lazy grin, allowing no time for retorts before pointedly defying her words with an amorous press of her lips, making Emma's body burn.

Regina's eyes were as dark and sparkling as a clear night when they parted, and Emma felt a pang in her gut like she was falling for the woman all over again.

Her fingers traced gentle lines over the smiling cheek before her with reverent awe. Emma knew how she felt about Regina months before confessing, and that those feelings existed far beyond her belated embrace of them. Never could she have imagined, even in her deepest longing, how sensational it would feel to actually be with Regina and to know she felt the same.

"Is everything alright?" Regina asked, hand coming to rest over the one against her cheek.

"Yeah," Emma whispered tightly with watery eyes. "I just really, really love you."

"I love you, too," Regina husked against the girl's lips, claiming them with her own once again. She cupped Emma's face in her palms, one hand moving to gently tuck back unruly blonde hair, still holding the girl close as she quietly asked, "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Emma confessed with a sigh and a small smile. The question did more than Regina probably realized to help relieve some of Emma's jitters, permitting her to be open about the insecurities her overly ingrained instincts told her to hide away. It was incredible that allowing herself to be vulnerable with Regina was actually when Emma felt the most safe.

"Me too," Regina said, shaking her head chidingly at herself, as if her self doubt were a perfect mirror of Emma's own. "To be quite honest, I've never been with anyone like this. It's always just been about sex, not intimacy." She craned her head back suddenly, a look of alarm on her face. "Not that I didn't feel intimate with you before," Regina corrected urgently. "I did. But now it's just–"

"It's different," Emma finished the sentiment, understanding completely.

Regina nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. Their eyes met, slow grins spreading across their lips until both women broke out into quiet laughter.

"I think," Regina declared, coaxing Emma's body flush against her own again. "That perhaps we should just stop thinking."

"I think you're right," Emma agreed, and this time it was she who pulled Regina's lips to her own. She let her mind go quiet, knowing while different aspects of this were new to each of them they were in it together, and that's all that mattered.

There was familiarity in the way their breaths grew ragged, the soft whimpers of longing and the gliding of hands over skin. It was comforting, the way the actions came so naturally, making way for the new thrill of utilizing them in such an unprecedented way. Every kiss was a promise, every caress an assurance that it would be kept. Gasps and quiet moans were declarations of unabashed desire left stifled too many nights before.

Layers of clothes were shed haplessly to the floor, kisses growing hungrier the more exposed flesh met flesh. They eased down onto the bed, Emma on her back with the woman straddling her hips pressed tightly over her body.

A small chuckle from Regina vibrated between their lips. "I'm not used to being able to have you in this position."

"I'm sure there are all kinds of positions I can get into that you haven't seen before," Emma teased with a devilish smirk.

Regina's eyes went dark and Emma knew she just unleashed the woman's feral side even before she found herself pinned and being desperately consumed.

Her mouth, her neck, her chest. Regina's lips were everywhere, and Emma was happy to be devoured. She felt hips pressing against her, enticing her own to move in time. While Emma was healing, they made out – there were gentle touches, wanting and waiting. But at last there was no holding back, and it felt so incredibly amazing.

"Regina," Emma gasped, feeling the woman's thigh pressing hard between her legs. "Oh, fuck, Regina."

"Emma," Regina groaned back, "you are one of the best things that ever happened to me."

"One of?" Emma gasped, trying to be coy and failing.

"The children," Regina said simply.

"Touché," Emma conceded, because nothing came before Henry and Maria, not to mention she could hardly formulate a clever retort.

"But I wouldn't have them without you," Regina said in a moment of seriousness. "And you," the woman shook her head disbelievingly, "you make me so very happy."

"You make me happy, too," Emma croaked, and then conversation was done as they let their bodies take over.

Pressing and grinding, touching and whispering, until Emma couldn't take anymore, guiding Regina's fingers ever so hesitantly between her legs.

"Please, babe," Emma begged, trying out the pet name for the first time and hoping Regina didn't mind. The subtle transition from "dear" to " _my_ dear" and the occasional "Emma, darling" hadn't gone unnoticed, and while Emma couldn't imagine using some flowery sentiment like "honey," "sweetie," or even "baby," she wanted a term of endearment to call the woman from time to time and, at least in the moment, it felt right.

Regina's fingers pressed in a hard circle between her legs and Emma moaned, long and loud. "You soundproofed the room, right?" she gasped.

"Of course," Regina said with a predatory sneer, " _babe_."

"Shut up," Emma huffed, too turned on to even feel embarrassed by the teasing. "Just shut up and fuck me."

"As you wish, my dear," Regina said, slipping off the rest of both of their undergarments. The wetness Emma felt against her thigh when Regina settled over her again was enough to drive her insane.

She was on the verge of begging again, but she never got the chance as she felt fingers smoothly sliding inside her in a way that felt so incredible she could only throw her head back in ecstasy.

 _One night stands are as far as I ever go,_ echoed in her head, and Emma realized just what she had been missing out on all these years. Sex was good. It was fun. But sex like this, with someone she loved and wanted so badly, she felt it everywhere. Emma felt it in her tensing muscles, in her erratically beating heart, and even deeper still in what she could only describe as her soul. Perhaps she and Regina had more in common tonight than Emma thought, because she was sure it had never been like this.

Regina already knew just what Emma liked, which was probably an advantage in this sort of 'first,' and she was doing it extremely well. Emma was panting, and gasping, and trying so hard to hold back the words that always danced on the tip of her tongue whenever they were together, until she remembered that at last she didn't have to.

"I love you," she gasped as she felt herself teetering on the edge. "Fuck, Regina. I love you so much."

Regina leaned down, breathing hotly into Emma's ear. "I love you too, Emma."

And then Emma was gone, carried off in waves of bliss as her body surrendered to Regina. It wasn't lost on her that while love had almost always been a terrifying thought, now, with this woman, hearing those words made her feel something so deep inside, so far beyond her body, that it rose back up into her physical being and allowed her let go.

She could have passed out right then, shocks of pleasure still thrumming through her body. Were it any other night with anyone else, she might have. But she wanted to make Regina feel what she felt more badly than she ever had with anyone before.

Taking a moment to gather her wits, Emma waited until she was certain her stamina was restored before surprising the woman on top of her with a sudden flip, making Regina squeal as she landed on her back.

"My turn," Emma whispered against the woman's flushed cheek, sealing her promise with a line of kisses down to Regina's chest. Her fingers kneaded roughly into shaking thighs, creeping higher and higher until they were sliding through soft, wet velvet.

"Emma," Regina gasped, low and quiet and completely wanton. It made Emma's stomach seize tightly, hearing her name whispered like that with such reverence and desire, to be so wanted by the one she wanted most.

Just as Emma was ready to really drive the woman wild, a tiny whimper permeated their little bubble, and both women froze as their eyes shot to the monitor on the night stand.

"Shit," Regina groaned, sighing long and loud in frustration as she threw a hand over her eyes. "I suppose we better go get her before something breaks."

"No," Emma insisted. They waited too long for this already, and she would be damned if they weren't going to finish it. "We have time. She always squeaks for a few minutes before she wakes up. Okay? We still have time. We just have to do this the fast way."

"And just which way is that?" Regina asked with an air of challenge in her voice that made Emma smirk, because of course Regina would think herself far too coy to be so easily read.

"Believe it or not," Emma said with a cocky grin, "I can actually pick up on a thing or two in three months time."

She slowly slithered her way down the woman's body, leaving wet kisses in her wake until her mouth found its place between Regina's thighs and she heard a low hiss of approval.

"Oh, gods," Regina moaned unabashedly. "Fine, you win."

Emma chuckled, lips and tongue still attached to the woman before her, making Regina gasp again.

"I guess there's a first time for everything," Emma teased before returning to her task in earnest. She loved going down on Regina, loved the sounds of pleasure it enticed, the hips pushing gently yet urgently against her mouth, the taste of arousal on her lips.

Another squeak from the monitor, and Regina blindly grabbed the device and turned it off. Emma understood. After all, she was the one who said she couldn't do this with Maria in the room – it was just too weird. Her tiny voice in the background during the throws of passion wasn't exactly a mood enhancer.

"Please, Emma," Regina begged as the monitor tumbled from her hand and clattered loudly to the floor. "I'm almost there."

While Emma wished they could drag this out a little longer, they really were running out of time. She added two fingers to her ministrations, which was clearly the right choice as she heard Regina's breath accelerate and a fist tangled itself in Emma's hair.

The thrusting of Regina's hips became more and more frenzied, dancing to the music of her whimpers and moans until the final crescendo when her muscles tightened and then finally released, pulsating in a steady, rhythmic beat.

Emma let her skin graze tantalizingly against the woman's torso as she slithered her way up for a kiss, the traces of Regina's desire mingling between their lips. Emma breathed a sigh of contentment, and while she would never wish away a single moment of her daughter's life, she couldn't help looking forward to the days ahead when Maria would sleep through the night.

Though she wanted nothing more than to remain where she lay atop Regina in post-coital bliss, her baby needed her. Emma knew she was at least partly to blame, because Maria wasn't used to being left in the nursery alone since Emma could still hardly bear to be apart from her for more than a few minutes.

"I think we've pushed our luck as far as we can," Regina mumbled, sounding sleepy and wistful.

"I'm sorry," Emma sighed dejectedly, finally extracting herself from the cocoon of Regina's embrace and slipping into her robe. "I really thought we'd have more time for _us_ tonight."

"Don't be sorry," the woman said gently. "Life is messy sometimes. Things don't always go according to plan. If they did, we wouldn't have our little girl. Hell, _you_ wouldn't even be here," Regina chortled teasingly, and at Emma's mock glare she relented. "But you _are_ here. We have our two beautiful children. And I would choose this messy life with you over some Disney version of 'happily ever after' every single day."

Emma could feel a lump forming in her throat, and she couldn't even blame it on hormones anymore. She rushed back to the bed, pulling Regina up to kiss her soundly before any tears could escape.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" Emma asked with a wistful sigh.

"You may have mentioned it," Regina retorted smoothly, just before surprising Emma with a playful pinch on the butt that made the girl shriek. "Now, hurry up and retrieve our daughter so you can get back in this bed with me."

"You got it, babe," Emma chirped with a cheesy grin that had Regina rolling her eyes comically.

When Emma did return to bed – laying sideways with Maria nestled into her chest and Regina's fingers trailing over her skin, into her hair and back again – she decided that she too was in love with their messy, complicated life together. The evening may not have gone according to plan but this moment, right now, was perfect, filling her with a feeling of absolute contentment and security.

And just for tonight, Emma forgot to be worried about the town, or Rumplestiltskin, or anything at all.


End file.
